The Long Road Home
by hausmom421
Summary: This is my first attempt at creative writing in well over 20 years. I'm very rusty but would appreciate any feedback. I chose a topic that I enjoy reading about on this forum and watching on TV. This is a short story about Hanna and Caleb trying to find their way back to one another.
1. Chapter 1

Hanna and Caleb: The Long Road Home

Chapter 1

"You broke up? Are you alright?"

Am I alright? I stare into Caleb's eyes as the question rolls around in my mind. How do I answer that? Am I alright that Jordan and I broke up, Yes. Am I alright becasue I'm still in love with you and you're now dating one of my best friends, No.

"Yes," I answer, "Or at least I think I am. I will be." I whisper with a small shrug of my sholders.

Caleb stares back at me. I can see a thousnd thoughts fighting for exclusive attention in his mind. His beautiful mind. Caleb turns away from me and picks up his drink from the table and takes a sip. It's as if he is trying to decide how to act around me, as if we're strangers.

"Well, I should go." Caleb stands up from where we are sitting on the couch "I have to pick Spencer up in twenty minutes." He barely glances at me as he moves toward the door.

"Please don't tell anyone about Jordan and me. I'm not ready to be interrogated. Not yet." I look down at the carpet and notice the tiny specs of gold mixed in with the white that I hadn't before.

Caleb chuckles softly, "Don't worry, Aria and Emily won't here it from me. Spencer neither."

"Thank you." Softly I close the door behind him as he strides down the hallway to the elevator of the hotel.

Shit, why did I tell him? What was I thinking? As if the dynamics of the group weren't confusing enough. I stare at myself in the bathroom mirrior as I pull my t-shirt over my head and toss it into the corner. Grabbing my toothbrush, I start to scrub, berating myself the entire time.

"They are going to find out. Aria, Emily and Spencer know me to well. They are going to find out." I think to myself, "I need to tell them before somebody else does, before A does." Getnly I shake my to clear away my troubling thoughts and turn the shower on, the heat all the way up. Stepping in, I close my eyes and let the water soak into my long blonde hair. I open them and stare striaght in front of me, not really seeing anything. After a minute or two, I can't tell how long it's been, I realize that there are tears sliding down my cheeks, mingled with the shower water. "Oh, shit! What have I done?" And with that thought I begin to vigourously scrub my skin.

"Hey, sleepy head, wake up." The voice seems far away but I feel someone rubbing my back and smoothing my hair down.

"Caleb?"

"Uh, no. Mom."

I sit up quickly, looking into the amused face of my best friend, my rock, my mother.

"HI." I mumble a little shyly, "What time is it?"

"Not late," she laughs. "9:00. I just wanted to see if you wanted to have breakfast with me before I have to attend to hotel business?"

"Yeah, sure. Just let me brush my teeth and throw on some clothes. I'll meet you in the lounge in 10." I look over my shoulder at my mother as she heads towards the door of my room. "Mom," I whisper.

"Yes Hanna."

"I'm really happy to be home again." I say and duck into the bathroom.

I walk into the lounge the of the hotel and over to the table where my mother is sitting. Pulling out a chair, I sit down and look my mother square in the eye. "Jordan and I broke up."

I drop my eyes to my lap and wait for the 'I'm disappointed in you Hanna', talk from my mother. But she surprises me and lifts my chin so she can look me in the face. "Hanna, I love you. I am so happy that you realized you and Jordan were not meant to be together before you said I do."

I must look stupid with my jaw hanging open as I stare back at her, speechless. "What?" she asks, I hear a little amusement in her voice.

"I thought you liked Jordan."

"I do. But I also know that you never truly got over your break up with Caleb. I'm the one that held you for every night and wiped your tears. Yes, I could see the brave face you put on for the world once you were ready to reenter the land of the living, but you are my baby girl Hanna and no one knows you like I do."

"Thank you", I whisper, as a tiny fraction of weight lifts from shoulders.

"For what?"

"Not judging me, not making me feel like a failure becasue I couldn't keep my relationship together."

"Oh Hanna, who am I to judge you for the break up of your engagement? Divorced, remember." She says to me with a little smile. " Does Caleb know?"

"Yes," I feel the weight decend on my shoulders again. "He is the only one that knows. I haven't told the girls yet. I don't want to complicate things between Spencer and Caleb, Spencer and me for that matter."

"Mrs. Marin," one of the ladies that works the recpetion desk at the Radley is standing next to our table.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry to interrupt but Mrs. Oliver is here and demanding her usual room. She didn't make a reservation and "her" room is occupied. We offered her another suite but she is adamant she must have "her" room and is demanding to speak with you personally. I'm sorry."

My mother looks across the table at me and rolls her eyes in mock frustration. "Duty calls, but Hanna, can I give you some advice?"

"Hmm?"

"Tell Spencer. Don't let her find out from anyone else but you. I think she will respect you for telling her, if you don't and she finds out from someone else, she may feel betrayed." And with that, I watch my mother stroll across the room to handle hotel business.

I pull my phone from m y back pocket. "Need to talk. Wanna grab coffee?" I stare at the scrren on my phone. With a deep breath, I hit send.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Hey Spence." This woman is a force of nature, literally. I pull out a chair, sit and wait for Spencer to finish her call as she furiously types on her laptop. The ultimate multi tasker, I think to myself and smile. Lord, how she intimidated me when we were in high school. She holds a finger up, indicating to me that she will be done in a minute. I nod and point towards the counter.

"Caffeine, Thank you!" Spence is shamelessly addicted to caffeine in any form.

"I broke up with Jordan." I blurt out with all the subtlety of bulldozer. "I thought you should know." I say in a much quieter, less than enthusiastic tone. I stare at her.

Never one to back down, she stares back at me and asks "Why?"

Wow, leave it to Spencer to be able to ask so much with one tiny word. I sense that she isn't really asking me what went wrong with my relationship with Jordan. I know the brilliant mind that is Spencer Hastings. She is asking me if I broke up with Jordan because I am still in love with Caleb. She is asking me if I am going to cause problems in her relationship, her relationship with Caleb. I feel a familiar stab of pain in my chest.

"It just wasn't right. We weren't meant for each other, not for forever anyway." I shrug my shoulders as I try to play it off like any other break up. Spencer stares at me in silence. I know she is calculating the odds in her mind. What are the odds that I broke up with Jordan because I love Caleb. What are the odds that Caleb will care if I broke up with Jordan. I feel a wash of guilt rush over me.

I know I still love Caleb. I never stopped loving him. The incredible sense of loss I felt that night in NY. The night we broke up and I lost him forever. It was crippling, unlike any other pain I've ever felt. My hand instinctively goes to my chest. Spencer's eyes lock on my hand over my heart. Slowly her eyes come back up to mine.

"You know I will always love Caleb." I say holding her gaze.

"Yes, I do. And I will always love Toby, but that's not what I asked."

"What do you want me to say Spencer? When I broke up with Jordan, it was because it was what was best for me at this exact point in my life. It wasn't a master plan to come between you and Caleb." I hear the tinge of annoyance in my voice, so does she.

We sit in silence sipping our coffees. "Hanna, do you still love Caleb?" Very direct, very to the point, very Spencer.

"Yes." I watch her eyes widen ever so slightly with shock. I can be direct and to the point too. Somewhere in the last two years I found some self esteem and a little confidence. I like myself this way. "But Spencer, I am not here to win Caleb back. I'm here to be with my mom and figure out what to do next for me, for my life." I glance at the clock on my phone. It's nearly 2:45 and I have to meet Lucas at 3:00. "Speaking of what's next in my life, I have to meet Lucas in 15 minutes. I better go."

We both stand up. Spencer looks uncomfortable and unsure. This must be the new effect I have on people. She has the same look in her eyes that Caleb had last night. I roll my eyes and sigh, pulling Spencer to me to hug her, to reassure her. "Spencer, nothing has changed. I just wanted you to find out from me and not from anybody else." A movement to the left catches my eye. As I focus, I realize it's Caleb, standing by the door to the coffee shop, watching us. Our eyes lock briefly and I feel the spark. Dropping my eyes from his, I step away from Spencer and grab my bag in the same movement, I turn to leave.

As I start to step around her, she puts a hand on my arm, "Does Caleb know?" she asks, not realizing he is just 10 feet from us.

"Yes, he knows. Look, I really do have to go now so I'm not late meeting Lucas. Spencer," I say her name so that she will look at me. "I love you too." A small smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. "Bye. I'll call you later."

I'm just walking up the steps to the building that houses the empire that Lucas has built. Who would have thought all those years ago in high school, that Lucas would become one of the most successful under thirty somethings in the US. My phone vibrates and I pull it from my pocket to the read the text. It's from Lucas. "Stuck in a meeting, no way out. Can we talk over dinner instead?"

I'm actually relieved. Lucas has been pushing me to start a design business that I'm not sure I can handle. I know I'm good with design, colors and fabric, but I don't know that I am good enough to carry an entire business on my own. Lucas doesn't agree and has been relentlessly hounding me to at least talk it over and look at proposals he has had drawn up by some underling in his office. He has always been my champion. Always gone out of his way to be my friend and support. I knew he had feelings for me when we were in high school, even after I started dating Caleb. Part of me wonders if he still does.

Life would be so much easier if I were able to return those feelings. "Sure." I type. "Where?"

As I'm walking back down the steps I just ascended, his answer, "My apartment, 7. We can order in or cook, your choice."

I don't know how Lucas always knows what I need without having to even see my face.

"Cook. I'll go to the store now and pick up some steaks. Is it OK if I let myself in a little early to start getting things ready? Around 6?"

"Sure, you know where the key is. Open some wine." And that is the end of the beginning. I just don't know it yet.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"I don't know Lucas, business isn't my thing. I'm a designer. Ask me about fabric, texture, color...these things I know about." I put my fork down and pick up my glass of wine.

"That's why I'm here. Look Hanna, I'm not asking you to run a multi billion dollar empire. I'm asking you to believe in yourself as much as I do. I can do the business side, you can do what you do best, create." Lucas is so sincere. He really does believe in me. We've been friends for so long and Lucas has always been there for me when I really needed someone.

"I'll think about it. Can we take a break from this, it's making my head hurt." I tease. "Tell me, what has the nation's most eligible bachelor been up to the past few months? The last time I saw you, you were looking to invest in some plasticky thingy that was going to transform the electronics industry. Did you succeed?" I'm much more comfortable talking about anybody but me. I feel like I've talked about nothing else over the last 24 hours. Definitely time for a new subject, I think to myself.

"Fine, we can change the subject for now, but Hanna, I'm serious about this. Just think about it." He smiles at me. "And to answer your question, no, that plasticky thingy is still in development. I honestly don't know if it will ever be completed and ready for market."

"What about Amanda? How is she doing?" I ask.

"Amanda," Lucas sighs "Was more interested in the money, the life and connections that I could provide, than she was in me." I'm a little shocked. I had no idea they had broken things off. Lucas doesn't sound too hurt and I'm not sure he was all that emotionally invested himself, even though he had been dating Amanda for the past few years.

"Are you OK?"

"Comes with the territory, I suppose. I just need to find someone that I knew pre massive bank account. Know anybody?" He jokes, but I can hear a tinge of bitterness in his voice.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, Jordan and I broke up. So even those of us without massive bank accounts have issues with our love lives." I grin. I know he's going to find out sooner or later, might as well get it over with. Before I can even begin to give his business offer any serious consideration, I need to make sure that we are both on the same page, business only. I know that Lucas has always had romantic feelings for me and I don't want to ruin what we have, a wonderful, easy friendship. A friendship I value far too much to risk over a business venture.

"Wow, I should be the one asking if you are OK. When did that happen?"

"A few days ago. That's mostly why I came home. I needed time to think, be with my mom. It was for the best. I thought I could make it work, get over the past but we just weren't meant to be." I really don't think that Jordan and I would have been together forever, even if I wasn't still completely in love in with Caleb.

"Meant to be. Hmm." Lucas grins at me. "Well, your mom has always been your rock. Makes sense you would come here to heal and regroup." He knows. Lucas knows that I still love Caleb. He has always been able to read me so easily.

"Yes." I grin back at him.

"What?" His grin spreads across his face, breaking into a full blown smile.

"I know what you were going to ask next." I chuckle, feeling more lighthearted than I have since my car drove past the "Welcome to Rosewood" sign.

"More wine?" Lucas begins to laugh. This is the Lucas that has always been my friend, that has always been able to make me feel better, no matter what the circumstance.

"No, I better go. I have a business proposal to consider and I don't think I can put it off too much longer." Rising from the table, I grab my plate and head for the kitchen. I hear his chair scrape across the patio as he pushes it back to stand up.

"That's what I like to hear." Lucas puts his plate in the sink. I turn the tap on to rinse the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. "Leave those. Cynthia can clean up in the morning." I turn my face and cast a look over my shoulder. "What?" He says.

"Lucas, we can do our own dishes. It was just the two of us. I'm sure Cynthia has a million other things she can do other than pick up after me." I finish rinsing our plates, silverware and wine glasses and load them into the dishwasher. "See, less than five minutes."

I pick up my purse and start to dig for my keys. "Hanna."

"Hmm."

"Even though he's with Spencer right now, you and Caleb _are_ meant to be together forever. As much as I wish it wasn't true, it is." I stop digging and stare at him.

"Lucas..." Suddenly the lighthearted atmosphere evaporates and is replaced by something much more serious, more heavy.

"It's OK Hanna. You will always be my first crush, the girl that I measure all others against. But I value our friendship too mush just the way it is to try to pursue anything more. You are one of the few people in this world that I feel I can truly be myself with, that knew, and liked, me before all this." He waves his hand in the air, gesturing to the opulent furnishings of his penthouse apartment. "I know the truth, I know you belong with Caleb. I would never want to get in the way of that. You deserve that kind of love."

He doesn't just say the words, I can tell he sincerely means them. My heart warms towards my friend. I reach up and kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you." I whisper. "You know, I do love you Lucas."

"Yes, I do know." He smiles at me as he closes the door behind me.

Yawning, I stretch and lay in bed for a minute. I have the entire day to myself, no plans, no appointments. I smile and lazily push the covers back when my cell phone vibrates. I grab it and look at the message. My heart accelerates, zero to sixty in a nanosecond, and I bolt upright. All laziness forgotten. It's from Caleb.

"Are you busy?" I stare at the phone. My mind is racing. Caleb. I feel the familiar pain in my chest.

"What's up." I try to make my reply sound cool and nonchalant. I sit staring at the screen, clutching my phone and anticipating his next text. So much for cool and nonchalant.

"I need to see you. We need to talk. Are you busy this morning?"

My heart is beating like it's trying to break free from my chest. Calm down, you're 28, not 18. "OK, when and where did you want to meet?" I type and hit send.

"Here and now." The text pops up on my screen as I hear the knock on my hotel room door. I clutch the phone to my breast, he can't be. I jump up from the bed and rush to the mirror, trying to smooth my hair down. Hopeless. There's another knock on the door.

"Coming, I call out." As I tie the belt to my pink, fluffy, terry cloth robe around my waist. Sexy, I think to myself with a smirk. Opening the door I stare at him, completely speechless. My smirk disappears instantly.

"Can I come in?" He grins at me and that's it, I'm lost.

I move to the side holding the door open and motion him in. "Uh, what are doing you here." I find my voice.

"We needed to talk." He says it so softly, I can barley hear him.

"I thought we were going to meet someplace else. Somewhere more...public." I'm clutching my robe closed at my throat. I don't know why I feel shy around him. This is Caleb, the man I gave my virginity to. It could be my state of undress or the fact that I haven't had any coffee or brushed my teeth. Latching onto that thought, I ask, "Do you want to order up some coffee and toast while I rinse off and through some clothes on?" I start to move back toward the bedroom.

"Yeah, sure." Caleb walks toward the living area of my suite. "Hanna, no stalling. This is important, please make it quick." He winks at me and I duck into my bedroom and lean back against the bedroom door, letting out the breath I wasn't aware I was holding.


	4. Chapter 4

I want to issue a mild warning before you read this chapter. I tried to classify this as MA but wasn't able to do so, only M. I am awful with technology and don't know if I am doing something wrong but this chapter does have descriptive intercourse in it.

Chapter 4

I walk back into the living area of my suite and purposely sit in one of the chairs situated opposite the couch that Caleb is sitting on. He's beautiful. I've missed this man more than I thought. I feel a tinge of guilt for Jordan. What was I thinking? How could I ever have thought that there would ever be anyone else for me but Caleb.

Caleb raises an eyebrow at me. "Your coffee." He holds out a steaming mug for me to take. I take a sip and feel myself relax a little. I realize that he remembered exactly how I like it. I stare over the rim of my cup at him. He's looking out the window, at the small garden just outside the french doors. "Nice suite."

"Thank you." My mind is going a thousand miles an hour in anticipation. "My mom." He looks directly at me and it feels like he is seeing into the depth of my soul, my heart. "She keeps this suite vacant for me, family or close friends. Her suite has one as well." I look away, unable to hold his gaze any longer. I take another sip of coffee.

Caleb has always done things in his own time, his own way and this will be no different. We sit in silence for what seems like hours. I set my mug on the coaster that had been placed on the table in front of my chair. I glance at him and see the small smile dancing around the corner of his lips. He knew that I wouldn't sit next to him on the couch and loves that he was right.

"Hanna," I look up, his smile is gone. "Why did you break off your engagement to Jordan?"

"He wasn't the one." Short, sweet and to the point.

"No?"

"No."

"Do you still love me?" I'm blind sided, though I shouldn't be. How can I answer that when I've told my best friend that I wasn't going to cause any problems for her and Caleb. I chew on my inner lip trying to think of an acceptable answer that won't betray my promise to Spencer.

"Of course I do Caleb. You know that." I pat myself on the back in my mind for achieving just the right tone of voice. "You will always hold a very special place in my heart. You were a very large part of my life, we grew into adults together. That will never change."

He looks a little wounded but not put off. "Hanna, I don't want you to dance around the question. I don't want you to answer like a politician. Leave that to Veronica now that she's our senator." He smiles at me. My heart slams against my rib cage. "Do you still love me? Not as your friend, not as your high school boyfriend but do you still love me? Do you still love me the way you did when we would wake up on Sunday morning and stay in bed all day? Do you still love me the way you did when we were planning our trip to Europe?"

Europe. I feel a flash of pain in my chest and my body tenses. Caleb knows I will not lie to him. There was enough lying and hiding when A was playing with my life, torturing me. When it all ended and we moved to New York, I promised him I would never lie to him again. It's a promise I've never broken and I won't break it now either. "Yes." It's barely more than an wisp of breath that passes my lips, but it's enough for Caleb.

His eyes widen as he lips part. He stands up, intending to move closer to me. I jump up and move away. "Hanna?" He is still slowly advancing on me and I am still slowly moving away. "Hanna, stand still." I stop instantly. "Hanna, you know I still love you. You know I still believe that we were meant to be together until we take our last breaths. Probably even beyond that. If it's possible, I will find a way to love you from my grave." He pauses, looking at me. "Hanna, I never have and never will stop loving you."

I've wanted to hear these words since the night we broke up. I've dreamed of my reunion with Caleb, never giving up hope for us and regretting the decision I made that night on the eve of our trip to Europe. But in all of that dreaming, Spencer was never with Caleb. In my dreams I was not hurting another person in my life that I love. And I would be hurting her. I know that she loves Caleb, wants a future with him, possibly a family. A family, a small tear rolls down my cheek. The family that I always thought that Caleb and I would have, _together_.

"Don't." he whispers, standing directly in front of me. "Stop thinking about it and just _feel_ it." He slides a hand up my arm, over my shoulder and around the back of my neck. Slowly he brings us together and our lips meet in the softest of kisses. "Just feel it, Hanna." He deepens the kiss, holding nothing back.

I tense for the briefest of moments before I give in to him. I put my hands on his shoulders and mold my body to his. It's like coming home, landing in your safe place. I quietly moan into his mouth and tangle my fingers in his hair. It feels like silk. This is what I've been wanting for so long, craving for the past two years.

He softly tugs on my hair, exposing my neck and breaking our kiss in the same motion. His lips slide down over my jaw, placing little butterfly kisses down the column of my neck and across my collar bone. I feel the tip of his tongue slide back up my throat. He stops at my pulse and places a loving kiss directly over it. I know he can feel it racing.

I open my eyes and blue meets brown. "I love you, Hanna, it's only ever been you."

Something in my brain starts to surface through the haze of our love. Spencer. "Stop Caleb. We can't." I pull out of his arms and turn away. I instantly feel cold, as if I've been plunged below the waves of the antarctic ocean. My heart screams at me. "We can't do this to her." My voice quivers. What have I done?

"Hanna?" It's a plea.

"No Caleb, don't. I love you, I will always love you and there will never be anyone else for me. But we can't betray her like this. She is our friend, like a sister to me. We have been through so much together. She has protected me at times when no one else could. Spencer is the reason I escaped A alive. I could feel her strength surround me when I was abducted. Her voice in my head telling me to fight. I love you Caleb but I love her too." And with that, I break into full blown sobs that rack my entire body. It feels like New York all over again.

"Hanna. Please. Listen to me." Caleb moves closer to me again and wraps his arms around my body in the most loving embrace I've ever felt. His head is resting on the top of mine as I continue to cry into his shoulder. "After you left the Radley yesterday morning, Spencer and I stayed and had coffee. And talked. Hanna, she let me go."

My head snaps up so fast that I almost hit Caleb under his chin. Tears are still rolling down my face. My eyes search his. "Yes, Hanna, Spencer let me go. She said that she loved me and that she loved you too. She said that it was because of the depth of her love for both of us, that she couldn't be selfish and keep us apart."

"Why?" I don't dare to hope. I barely dare to breath for fear this isn't real.

"Because Hanna, everyone knows, including Spencer, that you and I are soul mates. That the universe put us on this planet to be together, to love each other. Please Hanna, don't turn away from me." He places his fingertips under my chin, lifting it up so we are looking at one another. I feel the heat on my skin where he is touching me and can barely focus on his words. "Do you remember when you told Aria's mom that you believed two people who love each other may take a break and then find their way back to their first love? You were right Hanna and we are finding our way back to each other. You are the only woman that I have ever loved. I never told Spence that I loved her, even though I could tell it hurt her when she would say it to me and I would not reciprocate. I thought that I had to move on with my life, get over you, but my heart just wasn't ready to let you go"

I throw my arms around Caleb, crushing my mouth to his. It's violent and romantic at the same time. I grind against him and I feel his body tremble in response. Caleb pauses long enough to pull my t shirt over my head and throw it on the floor, his shirt landing on a chair. We press against each other with no barrier between us. Skin to skin, I inhale him deeply.

My hands quickly move to his belt, making quick work of getting his jeans off. "The room." He bends down and picks me up in his arms, kissing me as he walks to the bedroom. He lays me down on the bed that I just barely left forty minutes ago. Slowly he unbuttons my shorts, pulling them down over my legs. "God, you are so beautiful." I blush.

He starts to trail his fingertips up my calves, taking his time, just look at me as I lay on the bed in my bra and panties, my breathing heavy. I want him. Now! It's been too long and I need him. Swiftly I sit up, grabbing Caleb around the waist, pulling him down onto the bed. Quickly, I roll over on top of him and lock my lips to his. There is no hesitation as he opens his mouth, inviting my tongue inside. I shake. My hands run over his chest and stomach as I straddle him. His hands are instantly on me, palming my breasts through the lace of my bra. Pulling me down, he sucks my nipple into his mouth through the delicate lace. I explode and throw my head back giving him complete access to my breasts.

Caleb groans and quickly unhooks my bra and pulls my rock hard nipple back into his mouth. I groan loudly and grind my hips against him. "Caleb." I hiss through my teeth "I need you."

He rolls me over and pulls my panties off without any flare of any kind. This is raw need, pure emotion. He removes his boxers and lays between my parted legs. I lift my hips, begging him to enter me. He reaches down and slowly pushes a finger deep inside me. My eyes close and my head rolls back. He is all I can feel. "God, Hanna, you're so wet, so ready" Moving his finger in and out of me, while his thumb circles my clit.

I feel my body straining for something that is just out of reach. My hips lift and push back against his hand. I hear him suck in his breath. Lightly I drag my nails down his back, knowing full well that this will push him over the edge. "Fuck!" He hisses. His hand slides down my thigh, behind my knee, lifting my leg off the bed. He positions himself at the entrance to my body. "Open your eyes, Hanna. Look at me." The moment I open my eyes and look into his, he slams into me. I groan loudly and thrust up to meet him. He doesn't move, staying perfectly still to savor the intense pleasure that rockets through our bodies. Instinctively, I clench my inner muscles around him tightly. He holds his breath, his eyes are closed.

When he opens his eyes to find mine, he slowly pulls his back and staring into my eyes, begins to softly rock against me. I stare at him, unwilling to break eye contact, our connection. Leaning down over me, he gently nips my bottom lip. I sigh and he takes advantage of the moment, kissing me deeply, passionately. There is no thought, only a sweet sensation that radiates through my entire body, while concentrating at my core. The pleasure is euphoric as we begin to move faster. I can hear my self moan and feel myself catch my breath.

My body strains harder, my leg muscles begin to stiffen. I stare into Caleb's eyes and can see his love for me. I can see it in his eyes that this is real love, not a fantasy. We will make mistakes and we will fight but we will always love each other. We will never spend another night apart. It's my undoing. My body shatters into a billion tiny particles, shooting in every direction. I whisper his name softly in his ear, pouring every once of love I have for him into it. He stiffens and strains, as he shakes silently in ecstasy. Dropping onto me, covering my body with his, we both start to slowly return to our bodies. Still whispering in his ear, I say "I love you."

He rolls to the side and takes me with him, positioning my head in the crook of his arm. He wraps his arms around me, closes his eyes and whispers, "I love you, too."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I'm so warm and feel extraordinary. I haven't felt this good since... I stop stretching abruptly. Flashes of passion and tenderness crash through my mind at lightning speed. Caleb. Oh my god, Caleb! I peek through my lashes to see if he is awake. He's staring at me, he knows I'm awake. "Good morning." I say to him softly.

"Try afternoon." He chuckles and pushes a strand of my hair off my forehead, tucking it behind my ear.

I start to get up. Afternoon, damn. "Do you have somewhere you need to be?" He asks, putting a hand on my stomach, effectively stopping me from leaving the bed.

"Uh," I search my mind for a believable excuse.

"Hannah, please don't run." It's such a sincere request that I stop searching for an excuse and stare at him. His beauty is captivating. I reach out without thinking and run my hand down his cheek to his chin. Turning into my palm, he places the softest kiss in it. "Please, just stay. We don't have to talk about this right now if you don't want to. But Hanna?"

"Hmm?"

"We will need to talk about this, about us, at some point." He smiles at me.

"Not now." I do not want to analyze the hurricane of emotions pulsing through my veins.

"Not now." He echoes, sitting up. Slowly he leans into me and tenderly kisses my lips.

An instant spark ignites in my veins and scorches every nerve ending in my body. His touch has always effected me this way. He adjusts the pillows behind us against the head board of the bed so that we can comfortably lean back. "TV?"

My guilty pleasure. I smile wide and snuggle deep into the pillows as he hits the power button on the remote. He casually flips through the stations, waiting for me to choose. Without realizing it, we've slipped back into an old routine.

We end up watching Wheel of Fortune. I love game shows. We always try to guess the correct answers. The contestant leans over and spins the wheel. She asks for an E. There are two Es in the puzzle, one at the end of which word. She spins again, asks for an S. There is no S. The next contestant takes their turn, asking for a T. It is the first letter of the first word. Caleb laces his fingers with mine. The contestant takes their turn, spinning the wheel. A tile lights up,Vanna turns it and I feel Caleb squeeze my hand, "True Love," I'm not sure I heard him correctly. I sit in the bed, stunned. He is staring at me and I am staring back. He's leaning into kiss me but he's moving so slowly, I get lost, sort of stuck in my own head, fog surrounding my brain.

"The puzzle, True Love." he whispers to me, his mouth hovering over mine, so close that my slightest move would bring us into contact, causing an explosion, setting my bed on fire. You can feel the electricity in the air around us.

I inhale deeply and it's enough. My lips brush his mouth. The spark is lit. Caleb rolls onto his stomach so that his body is partly over mine. His kiss is soft, romantic, causing an explosion in my chest, setting my bed on fire. There is none of the frenzied rush that we felt before.

I sigh, and turn ever so slightly so that Caleb is no longer lying on me but parallel to me, stomach to stomach, on our sides. He pulls back and looks directly at me, "You are my true love, my soul." His voice a little husky.

I run my hands through his hair, gently locking my fingers together behind his head, gently pulling him to me. I kiss him, softly, "You are my true love, my heart." I echo his words. In the background I hear Pat Sajack say, "Something you would find in Lake Champlain." Caleb gives me a little squeeze.

"Champ." He shifts to sit up and lean against the headboard, laughing.

"How did you know that? Cheater." I tease him, leaning back against the headboard and scooting closer to him.

My cell phone rings. I look at it, it's Lucas. "Hey Lucas, what's up?" I feel a flush of warmth for my friend.

"Nothing, I thought we were gonna hang out today and forget everything? Leave it all in Rosewood, remember?"

Shit, no, I didn't remember. I look at Caleb from beneath my lashes. "I'm sorry, Lucas! I got caught up in something and lost track of time. Pulling my phone away from my ear, I quickly check the time.

2:47, damn! Half the day, gone. I look at Caleb again. It was worth it. I grin to myself. Caleb nudges me, and feigns offense. "Dinner?" I look at Caleb. He nods to me and mouths the word, "Go."

"Yeah, of course. What time?" And with that, the electricity evaporates from the air in the room, being replaced by a homey comfort that you find between best friends, soul mates. I get up off the bed and walk across the room, back to the living area to grab my panties and shorts.

"So, I'm a "something"?" I hear the teasing in his voice.

"A nice "something"." I grin.

"Well, then I guess that's ok." He loops his arms around my waist, kiss the corner of my right eye.

I feel a tingle on my skin where his lips touched me. "Have a good time with Lucas. Call me tomorrow?" He asks.

I nod at him, a little bit distracted by my own thoughts. He starts to move away, heading for the door. Something snaps in my mind, "Caleb?"

"Hmmm?"

"Why did you want me to go with Lucas? Why didn't you want to stay and talk?" I ask?

He can clearly see the confusion in my eyes. "Because Hanna, I know you. You need time to figure this out in your mind." His eyes lock onto mine. "Listen to me. I want you to process everything you feel about us getting back together. How you deal with whatever may happen with you and Spencer." My head snaps up at the mention of Spencer. He grins to one side of his mouth, "Spencer will be fine, I told you she let me go. But I know that you'll still feel guilt. Not because we did anything wrong, but because you want to make sure you're not hurting her. And I love you for that, but..." His hands frame my face as he captivates me with the intensity in his eyes. "When you finally do decide that it's right and you will have no regrets, no doubts. Not even from the smallest of unanswered questions. Hannah, I want you to come to me with nothing but love and happiness in your heart and soul" He runs his hands down my arms, holding my hands. "I don't want there to be any darkness, no clouds that could hang over our lives. I want to make you happy. Every day for the rest of our lives. And I don't want there to be any doubt, any reason, to exist in your mind that could cast a cloud over our life together."


End file.
